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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27627740">Alike in Dignity</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven'>ami_ven</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alternate Lives [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate Atlantis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Western, Blacksmith!Rodney, Community: writerverse, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Shakespeare Quotations, Sheriff!John</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:14:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>312</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27627740</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“No hooligans to throw in jail today, sheriff?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rodney McKay/John Sheppard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alternate Lives [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/343285</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Alike in Dignity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for LJ community "writerverse" phase 24, challenge 02, prompts ‘dancing’ &amp; <i>Romeo &amp; Juliet</i></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Lantea, Colorado Territory<br/>1875 A.D.</b>
</p>
<p>“No hooligans to throw in jail today, sheriff?”</p>
<p>John looked over the top of his book.  “Rodney, I haven’t arrested anyone in weeks, and <i>that</i> was only because Lorne got drunk and broke into Kavanaugh’s barn.  I didn’t even lock the cell door.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Rodney drawled, pushing off from the open doorframe.  “I certainly feel at ease, knowing that our fair town is under the watchful eye of a man who has time enough to read – <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, Sheppard, really?”</p>
<p>“It was either Miss Weir’s classics or Miss Beckett’s medical books,” said John.  “And there’s an impressive amount of sword fighting in this one.”</p>
<p>Rodney leaned a hip against the desk.  “I should have known that would catch your attention.”</p>
<p>“You know what else catches my attention?” John asked, closing his book slowly and setting it on the desk with a sharp <i>thunk</i>.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Grinning, John rose, sauntering past the empty cells to meet Rodney halfway.  The blacksmith had clearly just come from his shop – his hair was curling damp around his ears, like he’d tried to wash up, but there were smudges of soot above his eyebrow and around his elbows.</p>
<p>“You,” John said.  He caught Rodney’s hand, wrapping his other arm around Rodney’s waist and beginning to spin them in a slow circle.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Rodney demanded.</p>
<p>“Dancing.”</p>
<p>“Without music?”</p>
<p>John pressed his nose against Rodney’s shoulder and began humming, loudly, until Rodney began to laugh.</p>
<p>“Okay, no, without music is fine.”</p>
<p>“<i>Soft, what light through yonder window breaks?  It is the east, and Rodney is the sun.</i>”</p>
<p>“Sheppard…”</p>
<p>“<i>That which we call a rose, by any other name—</i>”</p>
<p>“Seriously, stop, you’re terrible,” laughed Rodney.</p>
<p>John pulled back far enough to grin at him again.  “Terrible means you love me, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes, you idiot,” said Rodney, and kissed him.</p>
<p>THE END</p>
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